Confirmation Candidate & Sponsor Activity #2

TALENTS SERVICE PROJECT & SERVICE PROJECT REPORT

Candidate Name:______

Sponsor Name:______

Bring your Service Project Report to your Final Interview.

Please start Talents Service Project by doing a prayer practice of the Church called Lectio Divina. Lectio Devina is a form of meditative prayer, usually focused on a passage from the Scriptures, that involves repetitive readings and periods of reflection; can serve as either private or communal prayer.

LECTIO DIVINA GUIDELINES: FOLLOW THESE AS YOU READ MATTHEW 25:14-30 (On page 2)

  1. Read the Scripture passage (“Lectio”)
  2. Reflect on the focus questions below (“Meditatio”)
  3. Respond in quiet prayer (“Oratio”)
  4. Rest in God’s invitation for you then pray/share with your sponsor (“Contemplatio”)

QUESTIONS TO HELP LEAD YOUR DISCUSSION FROM MATTHEW 25:14-30

  1. What does this parable teach us about God and his character?
  2. What do you think are some of your own God-given talents and abilities?
  3. When you have done something useful for God or others, how does it feel?
  4. If you had unlimited resources, what would you do?
  5. Share one of the biggest risks you have ever taken in life. How did it turn out?

AFTER YOU HAVE COMPLETED LECTIO DIVINA, FOLLOW THESE FIVE GUIDELINES FOR TALENTS SERVICE PROJECT:

  1. Open the “Talents” envelope that was given to you at the start of the Confirmation Program. Inside you will find money to be used for your Talents Service Project… your task is to use this amount in some way to do good work for the community.
  2. Ask Luke Alexander and/or Father Chuck for approval before you start your Talents Service Project.
  3. Do your Talents Service Project with your sponsor and/or with a group of others.
  4. Type a Service Project Report explaining what you did and how you accomplished it.
  5. Bring your Service Project Report with you to your Final Interview.

Examples of Talents Service Projects:

  1. Purchase food, prepare the food and serve it at Servants of Shelter or People’s Church.
  2. Purchase some items and deliver them to People’s Church.
  3. Hold an informational benefit after Mass to raise awareness about an issue and donate the profits to the organization that will use the funds in achieving their mission.
  4. Find a way to make your talents stretch to a foreign country and help someone that is in serious need from a natural disaster such as a hurricane or drought.
  5. The list of service projects can go on and on…

Matthew 25:14 -30 The Parable of the Talents

“It will be as when a man who was going on a journey called in his servants and entrusted his possessions to them. To one he gave five talents; to another, two; to a third, one—to each according to his ability.

Then he went away. Immediately the one who received five talents went and traded with them, and made another five.

Likewise, the one who received two made another two.

But the man who received one went off and dug a hole in the ground and buried his master’s money. After a long time the master of those servants came back and settled accounts with them.

The one who had received five talents came forward bringing the additional five.

He said, ‘Master, you gave me five talents. See, I have made five more.’ His master said to him,

‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. Since you were faithful in small matters, I will give you great responsibilities. Come; share your master’s joy.’

Then the one who had received two talents also came forward and said, ‘Master, you gave me two talents. See, I have made two more.’ His master said to him, ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. Since you were faithful in small matters, I will give you great responsibilities. Come; share your master’s joy.’

Then the one who had received the one talent came forward and said, ‘Master, I knew you were a demanding person, harvesting where you did not plant and gathering where you did not scatter; so out of fear I went off and buried your talent in the ground. Here it is back.’

His master said to him in reply, ‘You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I did not plant and gather where I did not scatter?

Should you not then have put my money in the bank so that I could have got it back with interest on my return? Now then!

Take the talent from him and give it to the one with ten. For to everyone who has, more will be given and he will grow rich; but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.

And throw this useless servant into the darkness outside, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.’

The Word of the Lord